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As compared to the total amount of applicants to medical school? Some people on here are absolutely ridiculous! 
Why is there a disproportionate amount of gunners on SDN?
- Thread starter auburnO5
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Agreed - it's probably because the non-gunner types don't care as much. As in less-neurotic. They're not the types to post 50 questions as 12th graders about which undergrad they need to go to, when to study for the MCAT, what GPA to get, yaddayddayadda, if they want to get into Harvard. It's insane, really.
I didn't start posting here until after I was accepted to a med school, believe it or not, haha. But clearly that's not the norm.
I didn't start posting here until after I was accepted to a med school, believe it or not, haha. But clearly that's not the norm.
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A combination of the term gunner being liberally used on SDN and the fact that many people behave worse on the internet than they do in person.
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I agree as well. Its good to be very driven but people have to keep their mind open to other schools and opportunities. Like poster above me said, the people who don't care as much will not be on here. There are a lot of highly driven people on this website but there are also a lot of down to earth "normal" people I should say who have everything in perspective and don't think they are better than everybody else. It would be awesome to get into a school like Harvard and there is no problem in setting that goal and shooting for it but if you don't make it and end up in a public medical school instead it is not the end of the world. You were accepted somewhere are there are tons of people who wish they could be in that position.
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Well, it takes some initiative to sign up for SDN in the first place, and great fervor--bordering on obsession--to spend hours a day debating the effect of college prestige on medical admissions, then medical school prestige on residency; why high GPA doesn't correlate with MCAT and vice versa; and so on.
being a gunner IMO is completely unneccessary. preparation and a strong work ethic are the tools for success. breaking down into tears over every B you've recieved, asking people with similar knowledge bases as you "what are my chances?", and being obsessive and just down right unpleasant dont seem to help much.
I think balance is the key. I study until I've got a thorough understanding of the material but I still can find time to do the things I enjoy, work, and volunteer. someone on this board told me if I have enough time for friends then I'm not doing enough which I think is complete BS.
I think balance is the key. I study until I've got a thorough understanding of the material but I still can find time to do the things I enjoy, work, and volunteer. someone on this board told me if I have enough time for friends then I'm not doing enough which I think is complete BS.
I dont think being a member of this board shows any more promise opposed to a pre-med who is not. it takes what, five minutes to sign up? I enjoy using SDN but I don't find it to be productive. yes there is some good information on here but there is also a lot of pissing matches, ego stroking, and biased and incorrect information being thrown around.
I think we all would be better served using our time spent on SDN on studying instead. but the same could be said about talking cars with your friends, watching a movie, and chasing girls. lets admit SDN is mostly for our interests and entertainment. not to sky rocket our careers.
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I couldn't agree more. Reading a post similar to this is what caused me to make this thread.
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I agree to some extent with what you're saying. Being a member of SDN doesn't make you any more desirable an applicant, but I think the applicants who use SDN, either as a member or just those who read, probably have a slightly higher acceptance rate than those who don't. Many pre-meds are fed false information from other pre-meds, their advisers, professors, etc. Many don't have access to someone like LizzyM who is actually on an admissions committee.
Once you sift through all the BS on the boards, there is a lot of useful information--information that a lot of people might not get. I don't think SDN makes you a more competitive applicant, but it definitely makes you a more informed applicant.
there is some useful information on here but I dont think the process of applying to medical is that complex. sure getting in is hard as hell but figuring out what needs to be done is not.
I am biased though and my mom is a physician so I can direct questions to her. but she showed me some books in barnes and noble for pre-meds and I think those have more reliable info than here.
I am biased though and my mom is a physician so I can direct questions to her. but she showed me some books in barnes and noble for pre-meds and I think those have more reliable info than here.
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Agreed 100%!! You need to be well rounded and enjoy life as well. Im not saying you have to go out every weekend to the bars, clubs, etc and us premedical/medical students may not have as much free time as the average college student, but there is still time that we can spend with friends and ourselves. Yes, I have made many sacrifices, havent attended parties because I had an exam that week, I still get up mad early to study but there is times when I go out for drinks with my friends, hang out and watch a movie, or even trick or treat on halloween! 😳 Its fun!
If one is constantly working and not taking even a day to relax and have fun when no tests are coming up, they will burn out, lose friends and eventually become unhappy. I shoot for A's but if I get a B, I don't break down and cry and think its the end of the world. I am satisfied as long as I know that I did the absolute best I could do in that class. Yes, I care greatly about my academics and they are my priority over everything but I have hobbies, friends, and can never turn down a flea market when I pass one!
A happy and successful medical student and doctor is one who is well rounded, has friends and hangs out with them once in awhile, has hobbies and loves what they do. Yes it can all be done.
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Completely agree.
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I cannot agree with this more. I think (welll I KNOW) that admission committees will detect and weed out all of the "i intensely study and do nothing but study every moment of my life" personality types during an interview....not to be mean, but it's these types that may have the weird, awkward social demanour that is detrimental to one's bedside manner.
It is quite important that one have a balanced life....make sure that you engage in schoolwork, exercise, social hour, etc....otherwise, you will burn out quite quickly.
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seems to me that people that spend all their time studying are exactly what they want.
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I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not..but all I've heard is that those who do that have failed majorly at their interviews...especially when their hobbies end up being "studying, sitting on wikipedia editing articles, etc"
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Sure, they're looking for well-rounded people, but what do you think you do in med school?
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No, they are looking for people who appreciate the subtle merits of an fine martini, shaken not stirred.
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Bolded for emphasis.
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this 👍
Not everyone who works hard and is successful is a gunner. Some people need to stop being candy azzes and whining about people who are academic savages.
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Couldn't agree more that the term gunner is grossly overused and overexaggerated on SDN.
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simply, self-selection.
+1
what type of student comes here to begin with? and then, who are the more aggressive posters?
+1
what type of student comes here to begin with? and then, who are the more aggressive posters?
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I agree with this. Yes, there are some people who get completely obsessive and then there are some that work hard because their goal is getting into medical school. They want to succeed and ask questions. I'd honestly rather ask a lot of questions then sit quiet and screw something up.
haha This just made me laugh so hard.
Giggity goo? "heh heh, allll riiight!"
there's nothing wrong with using this site for information, that is what it was made for. and I am all for working hard. I've always thought that you cannot control your intelligence but you have complete control over your work ethic. this is how I have approached all my classes.
with that said there's a lot of people on here who take themselves too seriously.getting into medical school is a high goal to set and you should take pride in your efforts but there is no need to obsess.
this is a sticky subject for me because in my pre-med club there are a lot of gunners and they all just suck. they boast about their daily 8 hour study regimens and plans for dermatology residencies. honestly undergrad is not hard enough to dictate 8 hour study sessions. this will change during medical school but come on, if you're studying that much in UG you're either a liar or you've picked a major that's too difficult for you.
they also are just not nice people. I am always willing to help tutor a struggling pre-med but not only do the true gunners refuse to do this I have actually seen them intentionally give someone wrong information. you can be an "academic savage" if you want but thats just plain being a crappy person IMO.
so yes gunner is a vague term thats thrown around here quite a bit. I have been called a gunner before because I will refuse to go to a party if I dont feel prepared for a test, or because I go to my professors during office hours to review information, and because I dont stop studying until I feel I can get an A on an exam. but I just think that is having a good work ethic. I would define a gunner as borderline obsessive with their grades, cut throat, and overly extreme in their academic pursuits to leave much of a life in anything else.
yes we are pre-meds and we must maintain higher GPAs than the majority of our friends. but remember that most of us are teens or in our early twenties. with the profession we've chosen to pursue we've got plenty of years ahead of us that will require us to invest the majority of our time, energy, and efforts. lets work hard and enjoy ourselves now.
with that said there's a lot of people on here who take themselves too seriously.getting into medical school is a high goal to set and you should take pride in your efforts but there is no need to obsess.
this is a sticky subject for me because in my pre-med club there are a lot of gunners and they all just suck. they boast about their daily 8 hour study regimens and plans for dermatology residencies. honestly undergrad is not hard enough to dictate 8 hour study sessions. this will change during medical school but come on, if you're studying that much in UG you're either a liar or you've picked a major that's too difficult for you.
they also are just not nice people. I am always willing to help tutor a struggling pre-med but not only do the true gunners refuse to do this I have actually seen them intentionally give someone wrong information. you can be an "academic savage" if you want but thats just plain being a crappy person IMO.
so yes gunner is a vague term thats thrown around here quite a bit. I have been called a gunner before because I will refuse to go to a party if I dont feel prepared for a test, or because I go to my professors during office hours to review information, and because I dont stop studying until I feel I can get an A on an exam. but I just think that is having a good work ethic. I would define a gunner as borderline obsessive with their grades, cut throat, and overly extreme in their academic pursuits to leave much of a life in anything else.
yes we are pre-meds and we must maintain higher GPAs than the majority of our friends. but remember that most of us are teens or in our early twenties. with the profession we've chosen to pursue we've got plenty of years ahead of us that will require us to invest the majority of our time, energy, and efforts. lets work hard and enjoy ourselves now.
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OBVIOUSLY this.
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So to respond to the first part of what you said about people on here obsessing about getting into med school. Well... you have to remember where you are at. If you go to a website that is dedicated to the topic of gaining admission to medical school, what did you think you were going to find here? Just because it seems like people on here are obsessed with getting into medical school it doesn't mean that they are that way in real life.
You yourself admit you have been called a gunner. That proves the point that many people don't understand what the term refers to (unless you really are a little beotch). Being a gunner has nothing to do with getting good grades and working hard, you are a gunner if you intentionally sabotage the people around you.
The whole thing about criticizing the people for studying 8 hours in UG is pretty weak IMO. Why do you care how much people study? Some majors actually do require more studying than others btw. If you think an engineer is studying more than a communications major b/c he picked a major that was too hard for him then you have your head inserted in your azz. Just because you can get an A in a class with less studying doesn't mean you can do that in medical school, or that you actually learned all of the material. Sometimes you can "learn the test" instead of the actual material. With that said, if you really can master the material in less time then that's great. You are awesome 👍, but it goes back to my previous point of why you care if your classmate wants to put in more time than you do.
I have yet to meet a single pre-med that didn't care about there grades.
Finally since I coined the phrase "academic savage" I do not want it associated with gunner. I was using that title to refer to people who are essentially smart people, good at taking tests, want to learn, work hard, and are successful in academics. Plus it just sounds cool 😛
